(often initial capital letter)any of the military expeditions undertaken by the Christians of Europe in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries for the recovery of the Holy Land from the Muslims.
any war carried on under papal sanction.
any vigorous, aggressive movement for the defense or advancement of an idea, cause, etc.: a crusade against child abuse.
verb (used without object),cru·sad·ed,cru·sad·ing.
(often capital)any of the military expeditions undertaken in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries by the Christian powers of Europe to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims
(formerly) any holy war undertaken on behalf of a religious cause
a vigorous and dedicated action or movement in favour of a cause
verb(intr)
to campaign vigorously for something
to go on a crusade
Derived Formscrusader, noun
Word Origin for crusade
C16: from earlier croisade, from Old French crois cross, from Latin crux; influenced also by Spanish cruzada, from cruzar to take up the cross
1706, respelling of croisade (1570s), from Middle French croisade (16c.), Spanish cruzada, both from Medieval Latin cruciata, past participle of cruciare "to mark with a cross," from Latin crux (genitive crucis) "cross." Other Middle English forms were croiserie, creiserie. Figurative sense of "campaign against a public evil" is from 1786.
crusade
v.
1732, from crusade (n.). Related: Crusaded; crusading.
